Spicy Potato Skins

Healthy Eating

Homemade Muesli

A delicious and flavorful way to get your daily grains! If you’ve never tried muesli – this is a great recipe. Muesli is healthy and so easy to make. It contains a mixture of grains, nuts, seeds and dried fruit. A great way to start the day!

Healthy Eating

Brown Rice and Black Beans

This easy-to-follow recipe is packed with protein and flavor. Brown rice and black beans serve as a meal in itself or as a delicious side dish. By sautéing the brown rice prior to adding the vegetable stock, you will enhance its flavor and increase its natural sweetness.

Healthy Eating

Crispy Baked Tilapia

Healthy Eating

White Bean and Tomato Soup

Filled with flavor, this satisfying soup is a mainstay of Italian country cooking. White navy beans add creaminess without fat, and the vegetables add health-promoting benefits as well as great taste. Try some grated cheese on top of each serving.

Healthy Eating

Vegetable Chicken Stir-Fry

This simple meal is high in fiber and low in sugar and saturated fats. The vegetables are not overly fibrous and are considered to be neutralizing for the digestive system. The ginger works as a digestive aid as well. To make a vegetarian version, omit the chicken and add the vegetables directly to the olive oil, garlic, and ginger, then add 1 cup of shelled edamame soybeans (total stir-fry time should not exceed 10 minutes with the soybeans). Serves 6.

Myth or Fact

Myth or Fact

Infrequent bowel movements are bad for your health. There are toxins that build up in your colon that can lead to bigger problems.

Myth or Fact

Constipation is an old person’s condition.

Myth or Fact

Constipation is caused by poor nutrition alone.

Myth or Fact

Constipation is not a common problem.

Myth or Fact

Constipation is just unavoidable and you just have to live with it.

Myth or Fact

If you are suffering from occasional constipation you should stay inside and rest.

How Do You Know If You're Constipated?

You Have to Open Up About It to Get Relief

It’s a topic most people would like to keep in the closet—the water closet. Constipation is one of those oh-too-personal subjects that are not considered fit for discussion. In fact, in a survey conducted by the makers of Senokot® and Colace® products, half of the respondents said they would rather talk about their sex lives than constipation!2

Yet lots of people experience constipation at some point. According to the same survey, 66% of women and 51% of men report having constipation at some time. That is a lot of discomfort and it’s a discomfort that can be treated—if people would get over their embarrassment and open up about their situation to find the help they need to relieve their constipation.

Once people finally open up about their discomfort, they describe feelings of bloatedness, gassiness, and then they wonder if they are experiencing constipation.

Are You Going Regularly? It All Depends on What You Define as Regular

It may seem obvious that, if your bowels are not moving regularly, you are constipated. But people ask, “What is regular?” The truth is, “regular” is not easy to pin down. “Regular” for one person can mean having as few as three or four bowel movements a week and, for another, ten movements. Bowel habits are different for everyone and frequency of your bowel movements alone is not the best way to determine if you are experiencing constipation. However, most people describe certain symptoms, beyond frequency of elimination, that are common indicators of occasional constipation. See if any of these symptoms are familiar to you.

Six Indicators of Occasional Constipation

You may be experiencing constipation if…..

Your stools are hard and dry. Hard, dry stools that are often small in size can be difficult to eliminate and often indicate a bout of constipation.

You strain when trying to make a bowel movement. Elimination should not be routinely difficult. If you find yourself feeling the urge to “go” but nothing much happens, you may be experiencing constipation.

You feel uncomfortably full, even though you haven’t overeaten or haven’t eaten a meal for several hours. That feeling of fullness can be an indicator of constipation.

Despite having a bowel movement, you feel it was incomplete. You want to go again but can’t. This is a common feeling of constipation. Your bowels are not fully eliminating themselves and your body is signaling to you that you are probably experiencing constipation.

You find your bowel movements a bit painful.

You feel bloated, gassy, or general abdominal discomfort with little or no relief.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, consult your doctor, especially if your symptoms last for more than a few days. A conversation with your doctor can help you understand your constipation condition and give you good professional advice on its treatment.